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The Kabul Zoo () is located in Kabul, Afghanistan, on the bank of the Kabul River and adjacent to the Deh Mazang. It is next to City Park and nearby the Gardens of Babur and Kabul University. Visited by around a million people annually, the zoo has been one of the popular tourist attractions in the city. Its director is Aziz Gul Saqeb.
The zoo suffered significant damage during the 1990s civil war; the aquarium was damaged by shelling, and combatants took the deer and rabbits for food. An elephant, 25-year-old Hathi, was killed when a rocket hit the zoo. Some exotic animals like rare species of birds, were smuggled out and sold in the black market. The Taliban, who took control of Kabul in 1996, initially thought the zoo was incompatible with their version of Islam, but kept it open after the zookeeper Sheraq Omar said research at Kabul University showed that Muhammad kept pets.
The most famous resident of the zoo was Marjan the Lion, who died in 2002 and is buried there. A bronze statue of Marjan stands at the zoo's entrance.
The zoo once had about 500 animals, including 45 species of and , and 36 species of fish. Among the animals were two lions and Khanzir. As many as 10,000 people visit during the weekends. The zoo employed a staff of 60 to care for the animals . It is one of the popular places in Kabul for locals and visitors.
The zoo generated 15 million Afghan afghani ($268,000) in revenue in 2012, which increased to 33 million in 2020.
In April 2017, the zoo took four of the that were saved from a smuggling attempt. It has been reported that the zoo will be expanded in the future from its current of land to .
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